Time controlled circuits



21, 1,929. B H w, JR 7 1,713,630 TIME CONTROLLED CIRCUITS Filed Dec. 30,1925 m 3 9 ,filH 4 Invengfor: a} en am oaaw Cit Patented May 21, 1929.

BENJAMIN THAW, JR, OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

TIME-CONTROLLED CIRCUIT.

Application filed December My invention relates to time controlledswitches and particularly to atelephone circuit controlled by a timecontrolled switch.

My invention will be best understoodfrom the following description whenread in the light of the accompanying drawings of one specificembodiment of my invention selected for illustrative purposes, while thescope of my invention will be more particularly pointed out in. theappended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front view combined clock and timecontrolled switchconstructcd according to my invention;

F 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, also showing a schematiccircuit diagram of a part of a time controlled telephone circuit; and QFig. 3 illustrates a detail.

Referring particularly :to Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated thecylindrical casing 1, which contains suitable clock work (not shown) foroperating the hour hand 1 and minute hand '3 of a clock, tiese handstraveling over the graduated clock dial face 5.

Herein the central portion'of the clock face is cut away to provide acylindrical openin 7 which receives the cylindrical walls of a cup 9,which preferably is made of insulating material. Carried on the rearward side of the clock face, I have illustrated studs grooves 13 inwhich are received the annular head 15 formedion the cylindrical wall ofthe cup 9 so that the latter .will be, sup ported for rotationrelatively to theclockface. Interiorly of the cup 9,"I have illustrateda lever 17 fulcrumed on ia pin 19 carried by the bottom of the cup, thelever at its outer end carrying a contact 21. This lever conveniently'ismade of metal so that the contact will be in electrical communicationwith the pin 19. Also on the bottom of the cup, I have herein provided asecond contact 23 against which the contact 21 is adapted to rest whenthe lever is moved downwardly as viewed in Fig. 1.

On the under portion of the lever 17, I have herein provided an arm 25having a notched end 27 which'receives the end of a spring 29 carried bya pin 31'secured to the bottom of the cup 9. The notch 27 is arrangedwith relation to the pins 31 and 19 so that in the position of the partsillustrated 11' provided with annular 30, 1925. Serial No. 78,326.

by Fig. 1 the notch is'at one side of a line connecting the pin 19 tothe pin 31, thereby causing the spring in this position of the parts tohold the contact 21 out of contact with the contact 23. If the lever ispushed downwardly, as soon as the notch 27 passes the line connectingthe pins 19 and 31 the spring will move the lever until the contact 21rests against the contact 23. Acting as a limit stop for the upwardmovement of the lever, I have herein illustrated a projecting pincarried by the bottom of the cup and against which pin the upper side ofthe lever rests when the lever is in the position shown by Fig. 1.

For actuating the lever, I have herein shown the-hour hand provided witha pin 35 projecting into the cup 9 and the lever as providedwvith a camsurface 87 in the path if the pin when the switch isopen, so that whenthe hour hand moves the pin 35 against the cam surface 37 it will pushthe lever 17 downwardly until the notched portion 27 of the lever passestheline connecting the pin 19 to the pin 31, whereupon the spring willcause the leverto move downwardly to bring the contact 21 against thecontact 23 and maintain it there. Preferably the parts are so arrangedtnat when the switch is thus closed the cam surtace 37 out of the pathof the pin 35 so as to permit unobstructed movement of the hour hand.

Any convenient meansmay be provider for opening the switch. and for thispurpose I have herein indicated the end of the lever 17 as provided witha finger piece38 by means of which the operator mayraise the lever tothe position of parts shown by Fig. 1 and open the switch. Forpermitting access to the lever, I have shown the frame 39 carrying theglass face 41. of the clock as hinged at 43. i

For establishing electrical communication between the contacts and theexterior of the casing 1, I have shown a pair of rings 15 and 17 mountedon the back of the cup 9, the contacts 23 in any convenient manner beingplaced in electrical communication with the ring and the pin 19 inelectrical communication with the ring 41-7, as for example the pin 19may have a screw threaded end 19 which extends through the bottom of thecup 9 and is screwed into the ring 47 as indicated in Fig. 3, and thecontact 28 may by similar means be placed in electrical communicationwith the ring 45. Interiorly'of the casingl, I have shown a bracket 51which preferably -is made of insulating material V mechanism containedtherein relatively to and which carries a pair of brushes 53,55 whichrespectively are in wiping contact with the rings and 47. These brushesrespectively are placed in electrical communication with binding posts57, 59 by means of wires 61, 63, the binding posts convenientlyi beingsupported in. insulating bushings '65. r

For rotating the cup 9 and the switch the hour hand I have shown the'cupprovidedexteriorly with gear teeth, 67 which.

mesh with a pinion 69 rotatably supported on'the shaft 71 having anoperatingknob 73 atthe back of the casing 1. Suitable means may beprovided for holding the cup '9 in its'adj usted position, andfforpreventing rotationof th'ecup anti-clockwise, andh'ere in {securebothoftheseresults by means of asp ring pawl 7 5 carried by the casingand cooperating with the teeth of the pinion69. I In Fig. 2, I haveillustrated the switch as applied ,to the ringing circuit of asubscribers telephone. scribers station is indicated at 7 7 while theThe bell at the subringing key and the battery at the central stationarerespectively indicated at 79 and 81. r In one of the leads to thebell atft-h'e' subscribers station, herein the lead 83, is inserted thetime-controlled switch, and it will'be observed that so long as theswitch is open the bell cannot be rung. This allows the subscriberlforinstance, upon going to bed "at 10 p. m., to move the cup'9 until thepointer85 on the cup is opposite the hour mark VIIL-and-then open theswitcl1,'which insures for the subscriber that the telephone will" notring to interrupt his sleep until eight oclock next-morning; If desired,the

. time controlled switchmay beprovided with a short circui't-ingarrangement for placing it out of operation, and for this purpose I haveherein indicated the manually controlled switch 87. V

' j 3 Although I have described forpurposes of illustration one specificembodiment of my invention, it is to be' understood'that I am notlim'itedithereby to itsparticular mechanical details but that widedeviations maybe tively to said hour hand.

madetherefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention.

. .Iclaim r V l. A device of the character described havmg, 1ncomblnation, a clock face, an hour said contacts for movementrelativelyto 'hand moving relatively to'said face, switch lIlGOlIfi IIISIH'COIIIPIlSIDg a pair of relatively movable contacts, a lever carryingone of the other for placing the contacts in open and 7 closed relation,a spring for actuating said lever, meansactuated.bysaid hour hand foreffecting release of said spring comprising a part pushed bysaidhourhand, said part being moved out of the path of said hour hand when saidcontacts arein, closed relation,=and a support for saidlever, spring andcontacts rotatable relatively tosaid hour hand.

3; A device of the character described,

havingiin combination, a clockface, an hour hand movable relatively 'to'said face, a pair of contacts, a lever carrying one of said contacts,means carried by said hourhand for actuating said lever, said lever whensaid contacts are in contact being out of the'path of saidmeans carriedby said ihour hand and when said contacts are separated being in thepath of said means, a spring connected to, said lever at a pointpositioned to be at one side of the fulcrum of saidlever when saidcontacts are i-ncontact and at the opposite side of said fulcrum whensaid contacts are in separated relation; and "means rotatable relativelyto said hour handsupporting said contacts, lever and-spring forrotationrela name to this specification.

2. A device of the character described hav- BENJAMIN THAW, JR,

Intestimony whereof, :I have signed 7

